Ambrosius
by Solariaa
Summary: It's hard, growing up with memories not your own. When you're 15 it's hard to explain that you can't watch the movie 'Gladiator' without remembering that you'd once been a Gladiator yourself. No one knows this better than Agron who dreams of a life he's never lived. Now well into his 20's he's literally found the man of his dreams the only question: will their past get in his way?
1. The past

_**Okay this is a story I've been working on for quite some time, and since I've gotten it mostly done I think it's about time to start posting. This first part is a prologue of the past that helps to set up the rest of the story.**_

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Since the moment his brother died during the first battle of the rebellion in the Ludus of Batiatus Agron had been sure of only one thing: Everything could change in an instant, _Everything_.

Such realization came with some small sort of freedom for Agron. Nothing was forever, everything was subject to change, and all his careful planning was worth spit in the face of the ocean's tides. His brother was dead, and Duro took with him a piece of Agron's heart, leaving the rest of it a shattered mess in his chest.

That was how Nasir found him: Shattered, reckless, and without a thought for a future beyond the coming dawn.

But, as the flames of war burned, blood flowed, and death claimed all it could reach; Nasir put Agron's heart back together.

It was slow at first, so slow neither realized. Agron only noticed the change in himself when he one day caught himself watching Nasir sleep. His large scarred hands twisted and toyed with the long dark locks of his lover's hair while he watched the man sleep at his side as he thought about the life they could have. One where they were both free of Rome, free of the blood, the fighting, and free to spend their days without fear. It was the first time Agron planned beyond the coming dawn since his brother's death.

It was a strange moment for Agron, he could vividly remember, not too long ago, bashing a man's head against a stone till his face was little more than blood and shattered bone. Agron remembered laughing, he remember that he thought nothing of his own safely and only of killing as many Roman Shits as he could. But, here he now sat, watching his lover sleep, thinking wistfully of a day when they might both be free of Rome's shadow.

Then Nasir stirred, Agron was looking deep into his lover's eyes, a brown so dark they could almost be black. And the moment had passed. And Agron was back to taking each day as it came.

~~o~~

Being in love, was to say the least, _new_ , to Agron. Worrying about whether or not he'd survive the coming battle was less new. Agron once worried if he'd survive to see his family again, then he worried if he'd survive so he might continue to look after his brother. Now he worried if he'd be there to hold Nasir again.

It was worries like this that kept Agron up, the eve of battle upon him and Agron couldn't help himself from tossing and turning as Nasir slept beside him.

" _Sleep_ ," Nasir groaned, rolling over to wrap his arms about Agron.

Agron cuddled closer to his lover, burying his face in thick dark hair. "I woke you, apologies."

Rubbing sleep from his eyes Nasir pulled back just enough to look fully at Agron. "No need, but what thoughts keep you up so? Share burden and see if we can put troubled mind to ease."

"I am merely restless," Agron said, he didn't want to admit that he was worried. Nor did he want to tell Nasir that he would be going to Rome and Nasir would be bound for the Alps. There would be time enough for such talks tomorrow.

Despite his words, Nasir saw right through Agron. "You worry," it wasn't a question but Agron wasn't about to answer either way. Instead Agron looked away, burying his face in Nasir's hair.

"You worry for nothing." Nasir informed him, taking Agron's face in his hands and making the larger man look at him.

"You do not worry enough." Agron countered, his voice unusually thick. Agron couldn't put his finger on it, but something told him that it was quite likely this could be their last night together for a long while, if they had another night together at all.

For Nasir, it was easy to see all of Agron's fear written clear as day on his lover's face. Even in the dim light, still half asleep, Nasir could tell exactly what Agron thought about, for the same thoughts hunted Nasir. Everytime Agron left Nasir's sight the syrian worried, somewhere deep in his heart, where he refused to admit it, that he might never see him, hold him, kiss him, again. That was how Nasir could know _exactly_ what Agron worried about.

"I do not worry, because whether in this life, or the next, I know my place is at your side." Nasir's words both warmed and broke Agron's heart. He knew that come morning he would have to tell his lover how he planned for them to part ways. The path Agron would walk was one that gave little chance to return to Nasir.

Taking Nasir's face in his hands Agron kissed his lover as if it was the last time he would ever kiss him. In the backs of their minds, both feared that every kiss might very while might be their last kiss. Both had seen and delivered enough death to know that survive was far from certain.

"This life," Agron murmured, his eyes shut, fingers tangled in Nasir's hair, his forehead pressed to Nasir's, and breathing deeply. "This life or the next, my heart is forever yours. I will love you so long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Nasir, I promise you, I will always wait for you, I will forever search for you, and not even the gods could stop me till I find you. This life or the next, I'm no longer complete without you."

Anxiously Nasir held on tight to his lover, something about the way he spoke made it sound as if he didn't mean to survive. "Do you forever mean to challenge the Gods over me?" Nasir joked, though his voice was thick and his heart wasn't in it.

"If it means even one more moment at your side I would challenge every man that walks the earth. I would challenge the very winds, and the tides, and every God in every land." Agron's grip tightened, one hand wrapped around Nasir's waist, the other tangled in his hair. "For you Nasir, I would climb the highest mountain and collect the stars from the very sky if you so desired them."

Though he didn't know it at the time, the very Gods took note of Agron's words.

For Nasir, who had only known life as a body slave before being freed by Spartacus, being loved by anyone was new, he could hardly understand why Agron was forever promising to go so far for him. Swallowing hard Nasir searched Agron's face, taking in the close cropped hair, growing beard, and pale green eyes, Nasir was trying to sniff out just how serious Agron was, looking for any sign that everything was a joke and little more. No matter how long Nasir spent with Agron he could not shake his worry that Agron's love for him was little more than passing lust. It was fear born of his lifetime as a slave, and though his heart knew better Nasir's traitorous mind had a hard time letting go of the past, leaving him with a fear that only seemed to fade but never truly leave him.

But like everyone of Nasir's searches before all the Syrian could tell was that for some reason or another Agron truly loved him, and meant every word of it.

Finding talk of challenging Gods to be like kicking a bee's hive and expecting to not get stung, Nasir wasn't sure if he should be impressed or worried that the Gods might actually take offense this time; Agron did challenge them much too often in Nasir's opinion.

"It is good then that I wish for no stars." Nasir informed Agron, and to their shared amusement Nasir reached behind Agron, grabbing a good handful of his lover's ass. "Only for you to warm my bed."

~~o~~

Crixus meant to lead his group to Rome come dawn, and Agron meant to leave with him. It was the eve before Crixus and his men left when Agron finally confessed his plans to Nasir. Waiting so long to tell Nasir that Agron meant for them to part ways had been a mistake, to say the least.

"My place is forever with you." The Syrian was declaring, sounding more hurt than anything.

"Not in this." Was Agron's pained reply.

It was plain on his face that Nasir neither expected nor agreed nor even understood Agron's plan. "You once swore the Gods themselves could not wrest me from your arms. And now you fucking cast me aside?" He asked, sounding both hurt and insulted.

For a moment all of Nasir's old fears came back; perhaps his mind had had the right of it all along? Perhaps Agron's affection had really turned from him? That Nasir could understand, that would mean that the man was only looking for anyway to rid himself of the Syrian he now saw as a burden. It was an old fear for Nasir, one he had yet to shake. But, like he had countless times before, Agron once more smothered that fear without having even known it had come to his lover's mind.

"My heart will never beat for another." It was hard to say who was more upset by the parting, but Agron would not lead Nasir to his death, no matter how much it would hurt to leave his lover. "Yet it would **cease** within chest if I were to drag you to your doom."

" **I am a warrior!** "

"One I am most proud of." Agron's voice was thick, the tiniest glittering of tears sat at the corners of his eyes. "Set skills to aiding Spartacus and see those less able to true freedom." Agron was almost pleading now, but the path he meant to take was one with little chance of survival and Agron cared more for Nasir's life than his own.

Agron had always cared more the lives of those he loved, than he cared for his own.

Unshed tears decorated the corners of Nasir's eyes, "Do not ask me to turn from you."

" _I ask only that you live, a_ nd wrest what joy may be found under remaining days."

With a passionate kiss goodbye Agron left, he had much to ready before dawn and many more goodbyes to say.

When Agron returned to his bed that night he found Nasir already there and fast asleep, but he woke enough to curl himself about Agron when the ex-gladiator joined him. The goodnight kiss they shared held everything neither could say. It was bittersweet with fear for each other, hurt at being apart, and confirmed for each that they were stilled loved.

Not even Agron could truly say if he ever meant to survive to see Nasir again when he left that day, but the God's seemed to care more for Agron's life than he did, for Agron managed to find his way back to Nasir's arms. He was beaten, half dead, and so wounded he could hardly hold a blade ever again, but Agron found his way home. With Nasir once more at his side, Agron didn't mind the wounds, the scars, or the filth to Agron he was home.

~~o~~

It felt, almost sudden, but Agron knew that wasn't right. It had been three days since Spartacus had been put to rest. Three days were hardly ' _Sudden_ ' anything. But that's how it felt, because, _suddenly_ , Agron and Nasir were both free. Free of Rome, free of crucifixion, free to live.

It didn't take long for Agron to realize he had no idea where he and Nasir ought to go next. Agron's family - _save his brother Duro_ \- had been killed by Roman's before Agron had been taken as a slave. Duro had later died in Agron's arms at the start of the rebellion, leaving Agron with no kin, and Nasir without any memory of his own save a brother who once upon a time had called him 'Nasir'.

When Agron failed though, Nasir did not.

Eventually the ragged band of rebels and ex-slaves made it through the mountain pass, where they all split into large groups and scattered to the wind, each making to leave at far from Rome as they could. Agron and Nasir traveled with Sibyl and many others for a time. Slowly, in groups of mostly two or three - _sometimes as many as six or seven, and once even eleven_ \- people broke away from Nasir and Agron's group, no one was really sure where their band was heading, but Nasir kept them moving North, until one day, only Nasir, Agron, and Sibyl - _her belly now heavy with Gannicus' child_ \- traveled together. It was then that Agron realized the familiar flora and fauna.

"My home?" He asked Nasir as they walked through the forest, Nasir helping Sibyl over a fallen tree.

Sibyl smiled, "I do not know how close we are to your old home, but it is your homeland at least."

The look the pair shared told Agron that they had planned this. But neither of them had a home of their own save their old lives as slaves. It made sense to go to Agron's homeland, he was the only one of them that still remembered ever being free.

Four days later they crossed the Rhine, heading north and east. Sibyl was growing so large that they stopped at they first town that would help them and before Agron and Nasir noticed, what meant to be a small stop so Sibyl might find a home for her and her coming babe became their home.

Years upon years later, when illness and age finally claimed both Agron and Nasir the Gods remembered Agron's promise to love Nasir so long as the sun rose in the east and set in the west, and his promise to forever search for his lover in the next life. Despite Agron's near constant challenge of the Gods, they didn't feeling like being cruel, more so because Nasir would apologize for any offense on his lovers part than anything.

So, the Gods gave Agron a gift in his next life, they gave Agron his memories so he might have a hope of finding Nasir again.


	2. Meeting again, for the first time

It's hard, growing up with memories not your own. Every now and then I would see something that would remind me of my past life, one that was mine, but that I'd never lived. I couldn't look at weapons without recalling the different times I'd used them myself or seen them used. When you're 15 it's hard to explain that you can't watch the movie 'Gladiator' with Russell Crowe without remembering that you'd once been a Gladiator. It's unsettling to dream and know exactly how it feels to kill a man and watch the life leave his eyes.

I remember when I was young, and used to tell my parent. They dismissed it as daydreams and I gave up. For the longest time I myself thought it was all made up too. How could the fierce dark little man from my dreams ever be real? Better yet, how could such a beautiful spirited man ever love me?

But like I said, I _used_ to believe it was made up.

That changed one day, it took a while, you see something always bothered me, both my real brother and the one I dreamed about had the same name: Duro. They looked different, mostly because of the age difference but dreaming about a man, so like my brother dying to protect me. It messed me. I learned though that my Duro and the one I dreamed about were the same though one day in school when we got in a fight.

We were in high school, I was 17 and it was over some stupid shit that stupid teenage boys fight about. Duro had managed to piss off some big, dumb, mean kid that wasn't to be fucked with, that of course meant that Duro fucked with him. I didn't know who started it, just that some big dumb kid was fucking with my brother, so I jumped in and pulled the guy off Duro, then someone got me from behind and the next thing any of us knew it was a full on brawl. It didn't take long for me to find myself fighting back to back with Duro, and it took even less time for the pair of us to take out most of our opponents.

We were laughing, slapping each other's backs over a job well done, when Duro looked over my shoulder and threw me to the side. That stupid big mean kid had gotten up and was about to hit me in the back with a chair. As it was the useless fuck got Duro on ribs, the plastic shattered and Duro had to get stitch up in a hospital but, for one terrifying moment, I couldn't tell those dreams from reality.

Duro suddenly looked exactly like the man from my dreams, and I knew why I had never seen the similarities before: because I hadn't wanted too. But they were the same, they had to be. Duro was in my arms, young and still in school, over laid with the dreams of a man years older and a trained fighter, but they were the same, beyond looks and colouring. There was something in Duro's eyes, in his pained half smile that told me just how alike they were. But now both had been hurt protecting me, one had died for his trouble, and I was suddenly terrified stiff.

I couldn't move, I could hardly think, all I saw was my brother dying, _twice_ , just to save me. What a waste of my brothers life.

My brave, stupid, younger brother; getting his dumb ass hurt for me.

"I save you this time, brother" Duro was grinning at me, trying to joke despite the obvious pain at having a hand sized bit of shattered plastic chair embedded in his ribs.

That was my undoing. My brother hurt, in such a similar way, for the same reason, saying the same thing.

I went mad then, I got up and hospitalized the big dumb mean kid. Then I started crying right then and there in the school yard.

That little episode got me kicked out of school. Two months to graduation and I was expelled. But I couldn't really care, Duro hadn't died this time, and I'd finally accepted what I'd alway known but never faced. Somehow the times I had dreamed were all real. They had all happened once, a lifetime ago.

Did this mean that my fierce dark little lover of a man was real too?

~~o~~

" _This life or the next, I'm no longer complete without."_

I woke, the last line I'd spoken in my dream echoing between my ears, half hard, and with the fuzzy memories of my past life mixing with reality to blurring the lines between ' **then** ' and ' **now** '. For a moment I even looked for the fierce little man of my dreams. My hand blindly searching the empty expanse of bed beside me before I remembered the truth; he was part of a dream, he belonged in the far off past, a lifetime away. Where I was a rebel, an ex-Gladiator, and he an ex-body slave, both of us following Spartacus on his mad quest to free the slaves of Rome.

With a groan I rolled out of bed and right onto the floor. Falling out of bed in the morning in one hell of a way to wake up.

It was already past noon by the time I was showered, dressed, and heading for work. After having been expelled from high school I took a job at the first place that would hire me, which was an art supply shop in a trendy uptown neighborhood. Five years later I was still there and now an assistant manager.

More so because I had failed to get fired rather than showing any aptitude for the arts.

When I wasn't at work at ' _Minerva's Supply Closet'_ I worked part time at a local Gym as a Trainer. Duro and I had both started working at ' _Oenomaus' Gym'_ nine months back when we first decided we wanted to try our hand at both American Ninja Warrior and Modern Gladiator; Modern Gladiator was Duro's idea and I found I couldn't say ' _No_ ' to him. The pay wasn't even half as good as ' _Minerva's'_ but we did have full access to anything we wanted. With they way we went at training it was a good thing.

"Why hello Mister Gladiator," Sibyl, my boss, looked up from her sketch. She was quite definitely the same Sibyl I used to know, and greeted me with a smile. Whenever she would speak like that I had to bite my tongue not to ask if she had strange dreams of a possible past lives like I did.

Between working with Sibyl and Saxa at ' _Minerva's'_ and then going to the Gym only to see Oenomaus, Spartacus, Crixus and many others who had once upon a time been Gladiator's in Batiatus' Ludus. It was sometime confusing, I am forever questioning what time I live in.

"Mornin' Sibyl," I nodded to my boss, looking over her shoulder at the sketch, she would often draw scenes like the ones from my dreams, she knew what the characters would do and say but she never gave them any faces. I didn't know this one; two women, barely dressed, draped in gold and jewels, the taller one half hanging on the smaller girl and showing her off to a man.

I shrugged out of my jacket and made my way to the back room to drop off by bag and pull on my once white, now paint stained apron that was the closest thing Sibyl assigned for uniform.

In the back room I found the new guy: Pietros, it was his first shift and he had already decorated his 'uniform'. A cascade of grey, tan, pink, white, and black pigeon-ish feathers stamped across the chest of his apron in paint.

I smirked at the boy, he was a small, skinny, young man, dark of hair and skin, likely no more than 18. "You haven't even been here a week and you're apron's already covered in paint!" I teased.

Pietros flushed, the blush barely there on his dark skin. "I was helping a _friend_ , he didn't like the plain white walls of ou- **his** new apartment."

Nodding as if I knew exactly who Pietros talked about, I hung up my bag and tied the aprons strings in a knotted mess across my front. I'd never get the nice bow behind my back like Sibyl and this new guy Pietros, so like Saxa I settled for a knotted mess.

For the most part my shift was almost painfully uneventful, right up until a quarter after 5, I had been sorting out the mess some teen girls had made of the glitter paints when ' _he_ ' had walked in.

I didn't notice at first, Pietros and I were the only ones there until 6, when Saxa would take over alone till closing, I was busy in paint section, complaining under my breath, and trying to guess at which glitter paints belonged where without going through the fuss of checking labels.

"Excuse me," A voice from somewhere behind and above asked, I just 'Hmmed' my attention, asking a bottle of paint if it was Plum or Amethyst in my head. "What metallic paint works well as body paint?"

That got my attention. I looked up, my green eyes meeting all too familiar brown and I was lost. Surprised at the sudden appearance of the man I'd spent years dreaming about I lost my voice and almost choked on my own tongue. It was Nasir, his hair was tied back in a high 'man-bun', with shorter locks in front to frame his face, and unlike the one ear piercing he used to have, adorned with a simple spike, he now sported four. All of them in his left ear, the black taper, with three small golden hoops high on the Helix of his ear. A matching pair of gold hoops together on the right side of his lower lip drawing my eyes to lips I would kill for a taste of.

I'd only been looking and my jeans were already suddenly, and uncomfortably tight, this man would be the death of me.

"Well," He prompted, looking rather impatent. "Body paints?"

Mentally I beat the stupid out of myself, in reality I stood up trying my best to be graceful, hide any signs of my raging boner, and smiled with all the charm I could. "You'll want 'Liquid Latex', it's the best we stock if you want to paint yourself gold."

For a brief moment I remember a party, from a lifetime ago, with Roman master's in masks, and slaves painted and decorated, fucking for other's amusement.

The memory was gone as quickly as it had come, and I lead - _Who exactly? Nasir? My lover reborn? Or just some common look-a-like?_ \- the customer down to another aisle where the metallic paints and other sorts of specialty paints were stocked.

After that, I showed him to the checkout counter, my tongue in knots, wanting to speak to him but unable to find the words.

"That comes to $54.57," Suddenly I was consumed with a need to know, so far, Duro and myself, Sibyl, Spartacus, we all had the same name. If this truly was the Nasir I had once known, his name would still be Nasir, wouldn't it? "Can I get your name?"

It was only for a moment, half a second, he hesitated, but for me that one second might as well have been an hour. "I'm called Tiberius."

In that moment almost of my doubt was wiped away. Memories flashed in my mind and for a moment I was pulled into the long gone past.

~~o~~

 _All about people drank, and sang, and celebrated our latest blow against Rome in the taking of another Villa. Voices raised in chat, laughter, and even in familiar song, and seated in the shadows, untouched by the celebration, was the wild little dog._

 _I couldn't help myself, something about him drew my eyes no matter what, so with such fine opportunity presented I wasn't about to let it slip past."You press fortune, glaring so at the slayer of Theokoles."_

" _His victory but proves even giants fall." Came the unimpressed reply, the wild little dog taking only a moment to look up at me._

 _I couldn't help the small snort of amusement that bubbled up inside me. This man, something about was so entertaining._

" _What name do you go by little man?" I asked, offering drink to help loosen tongue, and hopefully grease wheels of conversion. "So I may properly mourn your passing." I teased half-heartedly, crouching down beside the intriguing ex-body slave._

" _ **I'm called Tiberius,**_ " _He replied without second thought._

" _Tiberius?" I repeated the name, rolling it off my tongue, tasting the sound of it. Somehow it didn't fit him. "You are far too dark to have such a fair Roman name,"_

" _I' am more Roman than Syrian."_

~~o~~

Then the moment was gone, the memory falling back into the faded past from whence it had come, giving way to the 'now' in which I stood before a man looking so much like Nasir and speaking the same line Nasir had once spoken a lifetime ago.

For a moment I almost replied as I once had, the words on the very tip of my tongue, but I held them back, instead I wished him a good day, counted his change and watched him leave. As I saw the shop door fall shut behind Tiberius I felt a keen ache in my heart, as if it remembered a man so similar to him and the love it once bore a man so much like him. For a moment I was a man from a far different time, watching his lover walk away before a battle, unsure if I'd ever be able to see him; hold him; know him.

It hurt; wondering such things about a man I'd never spoken to, never even seen before. But what could I do? Run after him?

No, strange dreams or not, this was my life, not some sappy romance story. So I turned around and got back to sorting out the mess people had made of the glitter paints.

* * *

 ** _Okay I have so much more to this story (17,000+ words) so there will be more! So much more that you'll me, but this is all for now. I wanna get into the habit of posting a bit each week so if I don't, feel free to yell at me (sometimes I forget). Anyways thanks for reading and everything, thank you, and as always: till next time, ha det bra! :3_**


	3. Night Out, Part I

**Yes this is very late, yes I'm a horrid human being, yes I plan to post with more regularity. But lets be honest, I probably wont.**

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Later that night, I couldn't get Tiberius out of my head, I knew from my dreams that this how it went before. A chance meeting with Nasir, learning a name given to him as a slave, days of shared gazes, lingering touches, watching from the sidelines as Nasir comes to chose freedom, and takes up the name his family had given him at birth. Later parting with Nasir who went to the mines in hopes of saving Naevia, a quest which almost cost him life. All that had happened finally leading into the first time my past self kissed Nasir.

But that had been a past life, if it had ever been true at all.

So far many things seemed to repeat, Duro getting hurt, Spartacus championing movements of freedom and equality, Crixus' lost lover, and Spartacus wife. Even little things; like the way 'Tiberius' had given me his name. It was all so similar, so painfully reminiscent of my dreams.

I was going to go mad, I could feel it. The idea that the Tiberius I'd just met could be the Nasir I used to know. It was overwhelming, suffocating, and I wanted it more than anything. I wanted to hold the man I dreamed of, I wanted to live with him in a way that the me of the past had only dreamed of.

I finally noticed that I'd been just standing beside my car for sometime now, keys in hand, daydreaming, when I should have been on my way to meet up with Spartacus, Crixus, Rhaskos, Varro, and Duro. I'd gotten off work at 7:30 and been standing like a fucking idiot for at least 20 minute if the clock on my cell was anything to go by. Duro had even texted me asking if I was still meeting everyone at the bar.

Of course he'd start wondering, I was less than fifteen minute drive from the place, even with it being on the edge of downtown.

Cursing I threw myself into my car, shooting Duro a quick bullshit text about helping Sibyl with heavy boxes and drove off for the bar.

~~o~~

For me stepping into ' _The Drunk Corner_ ', was like stepping into the past. The place being more of an Inn than a bar, it was owned by Gannicus, who bought it shortly after his first time competing in "Modern Gladiator" and the man kept the place open from sunset to sunrise. It was a very old fashioned Tavern people drinking, dancing, pawing each other, and Gannicus encouraging people to take to upstairs room for the night. The owner himself was never completely sober and would often take to singing loud rounds of his favorite drinking songs.

The Drunk Corner was as busy as ever, which is to say not that busy, normally there were only a few dozen people, tonight there was a rough count of 20. Spartacus, Crixus, and Varro were bent together in convertation. Rhaskos and Duro were competing for the attentions of a pretty blonde I'd never seen before.

She looked just like the kind of girls that would party here, pretty things looking for men to warm their beds and care for them.

I waved to Mira at the bar, silently asking for a drink, before taking a seat between Varro and Duro. Greetings made, Mira came with my beer, and I watched Gannicus draw a group of five men into a very off key singing of "My Cock Rages On".

Yes, this place felt a lot like my past life, I thought turning to listen to Spartacus' latest campaign. This one was close to both his and Crixus' hearts: women's right, dealing mostly with rape and the abduction of women.

Both of them knew women who suffered such treatments, Crixus' own girlfriend had been taken on her way to meet him one night and had yet to be seen again. Spartacus had torn a whole city apart when his wife, Sura, had gone missing only to find her months later abused and half dead.

I turned back to Duro and the blonde girl now sitting on his lap talking animatedly with Rhaskos, she flipped she hair back and something clicked; I knew her. Or at least I had a lifetime ago, Chadara, she had once upon a time been Nasir's friend. Another Slave in the same villa as Nasir, she'd been Rhaskos' girl then, would she be again?

"So you won't be trying for American Ninja Warrior like Duro?" She was saying, "What a shame!" With a teasing laugh she turned back to my brother. "It must be hard work, training for such an event."

Duro laughed flashing me an excited grin. "Oh it's hard enough but Agron, my brother here, he trains with me. Can I count on you to cheer me on?"

Chadara wasn't at all shy in her affections, but then she had never seemed the type.

"I never got your name," I said, leaning forward to offer my hand. "I am Agron, this little shit's big brother."

"I'm Chadara," she replied shaking my hand.

First meeting Tiberius at the ' _Minerva's'_ and now here was Chadara at ' _The Drunk Corner_ ', a love I had thought to be little more than a dream was suddenly laid out on the path before me if only I was willing to walk it.

"I don't recall having seen you about before, are you new to town?"

Chadara flashed me a brilliant smile and Duro gave me a decidedly ' _Back-off_ ' look. "Yes I just moved here,"

I didn't really care at all for Chadara, apart from any connection she might have to Nasir, or make with my brother. I had to know if she had come here with Nasir, or Tiberius as it would seem he was back to calling himself by that name. And if she had come with him how far had he been from me all this time? Across town? Country? World? "Was it very far, where you moved from?"

"Hmm, not too far, just one of the small Vancouver Island towns It's not like we changed countries! But far enough I suppose."

"Far enough indeed, why the change? Everyone says BC is beautiful." So she at least had been on the other side of the mountains, had Nasir been with her?

Chadara glanced over her shoulder, giving my brother a wicked grin. "That would be because of my best friend Tiberius, for some reason or another he's wanted to move here, to Calgary, for a while." Something darkened her eyes, but only for a moment. "So, when opportunity presented itself he moved and I came with him. We've only been here a few months, maybe you'll be kind enough to show me around?"

I grinned back, So Tiberius had come with her, that was why I had never seen him before. "Nah, I work to much, besides, Duro knows all the good spots, if you ask nice enough."

Duro, who had been getting annoyed with me for distracting Chadara, lit right back up. Promises of all the great places he'd show her spilling out.

Varro had left while I had been picking Chadara's brains, Spartacus had gone soon after dragging a drunken and depressed Crixus with him. I helped Spartacus get Crixus into his car and decided to leave myself. I'd only had the one beer, and it had been a while already, I was definitely sober enough to drive.


	4. Night Out, Part II

I was taking the long way home, circling through downtown for the fun of it, when an all too familiar head of hair caught my sight.

I'd only ever met him once but my dreams had burned his face into my mind; Nasir. No, Tiberius. He was standing in line for some trashy downtown club, hanging off some guy's arm as if they were lovers.

I didn't stop to think, just pulled into the first parking lot I drove by, paid, and ran back up the block to the club.

I didn't see Tiberius in the line, so he must have gotten in already. I fussed with my hair a bit, looked at my tight blue jeans and tight black shirt, they'd have to be good enough, and walked up to the door man, palming him a $20 with a wink. One he returned and let me in, I paid the ridiculous cover charge and prayed that Tiberius had as well.

I wandered a bit, taking in the rainbow decorations, the over abundance of men bent together in close convertation.

Oh, _**OH**_. I'd found my way to a gay bar.

Chasing after a guy, who I'd spent my life dreaming about.

I myself wasn't even too sure if I was gay or not. The only person I'd ever felt affection for in my real life or in my dreams had been Nasir, maybe I was? Maybe I wasn't? I didn't know, all I knew was that someone who was quite possibly the Nasir I used to love had come into a gay bar on another man's arm.

What the fuck was I doing?!

This was stalker behavior! I'd only just met Tiberius today, barely talked to him, and here I was following him and his maybe boyfriend into a gay bar.

Looking around I noticed I was drawing a fair amount of attention, maybe the pants were tighter than I'd thought? Still, I was here, might as well look around.

But first I really needed to straighten my head out and made a beeline for the bathroom.

The bathrooms were actually quite nice for a club, and by that I mean no one had vomited on the floor yet. There was a large " **NO FUCKING** " sign on the door, and graffiti all over the walls and stalls from the typical "Joe is GAY!" to dicks, to phone number promising drugs or a quick fuck.

The back most stall was open, a pair of people standing with their backs to me, not that I cared, it was their bodies if they wanted to have fun here instead of a bed who was I to judge?

With a deep breath I moved to the sink closest to the door and farthest from the panting pair in the last stall. Taking a moment I bent over the sink, splashing water over my face and actually fixing my hair. If Tiberius was here I wanted to look at least half decent.

There was a grunt from the last stall, the person half in the doorway stumbled back a step. "What the fuck? I'm paying you aren't I?"

"And I said 'Fuck that'!"

I knew that voice. I would always know that voice.

"I'm an escort not some fucking whore!" That was Tiberius, it didn't matter that I'd only met him today, everything about him was already imprinted on my very soul. I was frozen, this man, so like the Nasir of my dreams, was a fucking escort while Nasir had been a god damn body slave.

The other man surged forward, there was the sound of a punch, a grunt.

"Fucking Slut!" Came the angry shout, that was the other man, probably whoever Tiberius had come in with. Then sharp impact of a back handed blow and the shaking thud of someone falling against the flimsy metal walls of a cheap bathroom stall.

I could still hear the pounding bass from the dance floor though the heavy bathroom door but now the pounding of my rage was drowned it out.

What ever spell had frozen me before broke with Tiberius' grunt of pain. Even now the other man was winding up for another blow.

Four long strides put me behind the man, with an iron grip I took hold of the man's shirt, easily throwing the thin man against the bathroom sinks.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

The man was much older than either Tiberius or I, with short dark hair, and a plain average face. Such a plain man the only interesting thing about his face was the bleeding bite mark on his lips.

"Your fucking doom if you lay hands on any other unwilling person again." I promised, drawing myself to full height and flexing, at 6'2 and ripped from daily training I was a man not to be fucked with.

Something this sniffling shit obviously understood and he was already scrambling to flee. "You can be sure I'll report this assault!" The worthless fuck was promising, his voice shaking.

"And shall I report you forcing yourself on an unwilling young man?" I replied with a grin, begging this man to give me an excuse to beat him within an inch of his. "Now Spartacus normally works with women being assaulted but he's not the sort to turn a blind eye to anyone in need"

This worthless scrap of humanity paled at Spartacus' name. "Lier! How could you know such a man?"

"Care to test me?"

He didn't, Tiberius' would be assailant ran.

"I didn't need help."

I turned around, Tiberius was on the floor, between the toilet and the stall wall, his jeans tight, dirty and torn, his shirt bloody and rumpled, nose dripping blood, and right cheek bright red and his eye already beginning to bruise.

"Maybe not, but I do enjoy a good excuse to beat a man in need of it." I said, not willing to say that they idea of anyone hurting him sent me spinning into a blind rage.

I helped Tiberius up, watching him limp to the sink to clean off most of the blood.

"Are you okay?" I couldn't stop the words from spilling out, anymore than I could help the heartbroken sound of my own voice.

Tiberius gave me a strange look, before turning back to the mirror and wincing when he touched his nose. "I'm fine, lucky for me my stalker showed up."

He was teasing me! Tiberius was fucking teasing me and with a straight face no less! Then his words sank in, he thought me a fucking stalker!

"I didn't- I'm!"

Tiberius turned back to me, "What else am I to call you? I never got your name at ' _Minerva's'_ and now you show up, the same day hours later."

"Mere coincidence," I promised, coincidence that I saw him while driving by, I admitted only to myself. "Agron, my name is Agron."

Tiberius smirked at that, distracted from the blood still dripping from his nose.

"Here, let me help you." I moved behind him, barely touching him to turning him around and tilt his head back. I took the paper towel from his fingers and pinched his nose shut myself.

Tiberius winced a little, but said nothing, breathing deeply through his mouth. I could still hear the echo's of music and chatter through the shut door, someguy, drunk or high, stumbled into the first stall, his friend following, neither paid us any attention.

"Th'nks," Tiberius mumbled into my hand, voice stuffy from my hold on his nose.

Removing my hand and the paper towel I moved back. "Did you drive?" I asked, praying he hadn't.

Tiberius shook his head, "Nah, you scared off my ride."

"Come on. I'll take you home." I offered turning away.

The club was loud and full, looking back I took Tiberius' hand so as to not lose him, but even after we left neither or us made a move to release the other. The night was getting steadily colder and the chilling breeze helped clear my head.

"You know, you could alway take me to your home, have some _fun_ there."

Surprised I stumbled a little, looking back at Tiberius whose hand I still held. The man looked 100% innocent, until he grinned at me. "Well?"

I turned back leading him to my car. "Thanks but I'll wait till you want to take me your house."

Unruffled by rejection Tiberius climbed into the passenger seat and gave me directions to the place he and Chadara shared.

We drove in silence, Tiberius texting away, the radio a dull roar of background noise, lights outside flashing by. I kept to the speed limit, wanting to go as slow as I could to drag out every moment while my nerves were on fire.

All too soon I pulled up outside of Tiberius and Chadara's apartment. When Tiberius made no move to get out I looked at him, when had he gotten my cell?

"What are you doing?"

"Texting myself, in case you ever change your mind." The grin he gave me almost changed my mind for me, only in my dreams had I ever been half as turned on so quickly and so thoroughly. It seemed the real thing was even better.

~~o~~

I drove home in a trance; the only thoughts in my head were all about Tiberius. That Tiberius/ Nasir was real. That I had found him. That I hadn't said yes and taken him home.

I had found him, my fierce dark little lover.

When I got home to the small townhouse I shared with Duro I kicked off my shoes, turning on the lights. Duro's car had been in the front so he must have come home, probably in his room and hopefully not asleep.

"Duro!" I called into the seeming empty house and heard movement from his room. Yup, still up and slammed open his door. "I saw him! Nasir I found him! He's as perfect as-"

I froze, Chadara was in Duro's bed, both of them naked.

"Oh, I didn't know-"

"GET OUT!" Duro yelled throwing a pillow at me.

Laughing I ducked and slammed the door shut. Stifling my laughter with the back of my hand I stood waited a moment, my other hand still on the doorknob. I was excited to have found the man I'd spent my life dreaming of but I'd feel awful if it turned out I'd ruined the night for my brother. A moment passed, then another, then I heard giggles and soon joined by my brother's chuckles, followed by an excited squeal that had to be Chadara.

Well at least one of us was getting some.


	5. Good Morning

**What's this? A new chapter? You bet your sweet buns it is!**

* * *

When morning came I woke much easier than I had the day before, beating Duro and Chadara by over an hour. I took the time to shower and then made waffles for my brother and his 'guest'. Today was a training day, training days always started with a good breakfast of waffles and bacon and eggs with a bit of fruit on the side.

As I waited I sent Tiberius a text, asking how badly he had bruised and offering to hunt down the shit that had beaten him. I didn't get a reply but didn't let it bother me, Tiberius himself had given me his number without me even having to ask. That had to mean something, right?

The first four waffles were cooked and on a plate, and I was scrambling some eggs and frying bacon, when Duro turned up in an old pair of pants Chadara behind him in one of Duro's old shirts that fit her like a dress.

"Good morning, eat up and take her home, we're still training." I informed Duro with the sort of knowing smile only a brother can give.

"Training? Oh for the Ninja contest right?" Chadara was taking a waffle herself and bathing the thing in syrup.

Duro nodded, his mouth already full and the boy had yet to sit down.

His new girlfriend(?) eyed him, flipping her hair back and taking a decidedly dantly bite herself. "Such a pig, I came home with the wrong brother." She announced, casting me a flirty look complete with batting lashes.

My brother, classy as ever, snorted and almost choked on his waffle. "He's gay."

Chadara turned wide, questioning eyes on me.

With a solemn nod I took the second set of waffles from the iron for myself and sat at the kitchen table with them, my plate full of waffles, eggs, and bacon.

"Anyways, you were saying about Nasir?" Duro prodded. "I thought he was, you know." It was obvious that Duro didn't want to call Nasir a dream, not in front of this girl, but he'd always been skeptical. After all, I was the one with the dreams, not Duro.

All of my excitement from the night before came rushing back. "No, I saw him last night after I left, talked to him for bit. I even got his number."

Duro gave an appreciative whistle, and mocking cheers to which I bowed to.

"Who is this Nasir?" Chadara asked watching us with amusement.

"His childhood crush." Came Duro's helpful reply.

My cell went off from a text, a quick look showed photo text of a very annoyed looking Tiberius, half of his face bruised black and purple, with the caption: "What do you think?".

"Who's that? Spartacus?" Duro asked leaning over to look, when he saw the photo message he hissed in sympathy. "What happened to him?"

Chadara followed suit. "Oh Tiberius!"

"Yes, I had stopped at a bar, that's where I met Nasir," If Chadara didn't recognize Nasir to be Tiberius I wasn't going to tell her. "In the bathroom I ran into Tiberius, some shit was giving him a hard time."

Chadara looked worried, "And here I was having fun, I should go home and check on him!"

"I'll drive you," Duro declared, shoving the rest of his third waffle in his face and choking it down and grabbing an apple for the road. "Let me grab my bag, I'll meet you at the gym, okay?"

I waved Duro and Chadara off, watching out the front window as they left. I was beginning to slip back into daydreams about how I'd get Tiberius to fall in love with me when my cell went off again

 **From:** Tiberius 8:24 am

YOU TOLD CHADARA ON ME! D:

I snicked at that, I'd been about to reply when I got another text.

 **From:** Tiberius 8:25 am

Wait, how do you even know Chadara?

You really are a stalker aren't you?

 **To:** Tiberius 8:25 am

Nah, I meet her at the Drunk Corner then my brother brought her home,

You should come there tonight, less assholes than whatever skeezy club you found that last guy at.

I waited, heart pounding, would he agree to come? Would I have another excuse to see Tiberius? Although, it seemed he worked as an escort, wouldn't that mean he'd be busy working on a friday night?

 **From:** Tiberius 8:28 am

Only if you're buying my drinks

SUCCESS! I even let out a cheer of joy, I'd see Tiberius again.

 **To:** Tiberius 8:29 am

Sounds like a deal!

Promises to meet up arranged I set to cleaning up the kitchen before setting off for the gym. I had 2 hours before my shift and I meant to spend them training.

~~o~~

I couldn't keep myself from grinning like a complete fucking moron all through training with Duro. The world was bright, I'd found Nasir, or rather Tiberius, and he while didn't seem to remember me or our lives together but that just meant I had to win his heart again.

Apparently my good cheer was noticed by all of the regulars at ' _Oenomaus' Gym'_ and many commented on it to which Duro would happily explain that I'd fallen in love. Once I confessed to Duro and Spartacus that he had agreed to come the ' _The Drunk Corner_ ' and meet me everyone was promising the most embarrassing night of my life.

Now I remember why I never tell Rhaskos, Duro, Barca, and Donar anything.

Still all of my nerve ending were on fire, I'd spent my life dreaming of Nasir, watching our life together play out in the past, cursing myself every time I left his side because every time I had one of us ended up half dead. Now, after all these years, Nasir was within my grasp. My dreams had solid form, weight, breath, everything else faded into background noise in the face of that one fact: Nasir was real.

He was real and within my reach.

* * *

 **Up next, why you _don't_ tell your friends about your crushes. Who's ready to watch Agron's friends embarrassed him? I know I am XD**


	6. First Date

Once more I made my way to ' _The Drunk Corner_ ', this time though I was with Duro, who was asking me - _for the hundredth time_ \- if I thought he looked good.

"Chadara saw you naked and didn't run screaming. I'm sure she likes you just fine." I said trying to pacify my younger brother.

That joke earned me a blow from Duro.

We were still laughing and hitting each other when we walked in. Apparently even Gannicus had heard about my 'Lady Love' coming to meet me because he turned up the moment I walked in with the most knowing smile I'd ever seen.

"Taking your date to such a place," He was saying, drink in hand, looking rather pleased. "Hoping to make the beast with to backs are you?" he asked, elbowing me hard with over exaggerated winking. It wasn't even 8 and Gannicus was so sloshed he'd already lost his shirt, that is, assuming he had actually put one on today.

"It's hardly a date."

"So you say," Duro joined in laughing with Gannicus at my expense.

The minute Donar spotted me he grabbed Rhaskos and they both came running over. This was going to be painful, both of my so called 'Friends' came by and quickly began offering advice and giving their own versions of 'The Birds and The Bees'. As if I was 14 and didn't know how to use my own dick! Not that I was exactly _expecting_ to use it tonight, but. . . .

"Most people say it's about size, but you can bet that Mattress Dancing really comes down to talent! _Foot work-_ " Rhaskos explained, cutting himself off with snorting laughter.

"It's an art form!" Donar cut it, "Like Rhaskos said, _Foot Work_ is **really** important in the bed room rodeo!"

Grumbling I moved to the bar to sit with Crixus and Spartacus. At least they weren't singing in my honor like Donar and Rhaskos now were.

"He's just a friend," I grumbled into my mug.

Spartacus beside me clapped me on the shoulder. "Come on, you've never shown any interest in anyone, male or female, before. Rhaskos was beginning to wonder if you even felts such . . . . stirrings." Amusement was lighting up Spartacus' face, even Crixus was grinning at that, trying his best to hide his face in his drink.

I brushed it off, though I was promising murder under my breath.

Loud laughing, and yelling, and clinking of glasses filled the tavern, Gannicus got yet another round of "My Cock Rages On" started and Chadara showed up in a tiny denim skirt and white little tube top, Duro loves girls in tube tops.

I finished my beer and was ordering another when someone beside me ordered two of something called a "Prairie Fire".

I looked over to see Tiberius take a seat beside me, his hair was down this time, and the loose long sleeve black top fitted him perfectly. I couldn't help the smile that broke out across my face.

"Oh don't look so happy, you're having one of those Prairie Fires with me." he informed me.

"Sounds good to me," Personally I didn't give a fuck, I wasn't really one for mixed drink, or shots, and I had never ordered any sort of mixed anything, nor did I have any fucking clue what a 'Prairie Fire' was.

Mira, manning the bar, shared a look with Tiberius and snorted. Even Spartacus was giving me a piteous look.

"Oh it can't be all that bad!" I said picking up the shot set before me. Tiberius and I clicked glasses and I threw my shot back.

I was wrong, so very, very wrong.

How did it burn so much? How did I not see this coming? Surely this is the taste of regret; though I suppose it would have to be called a 'Prairie Fire' for some reason.

At the sound of snorting laughter I turned to Tiberius, he had a hand over his mouth trying to stifle the sound. I giving him a look of utmost betrayal, the dark haired shit didn't even look sorry! He whispered to Mira and I found another drink places before me, this one was creamy looking with whipped cream on top.

I wasn't to sure if I could trust Tiberius' taste in drink anymore but I reached for the shot either way. This one _looked_ innocent enough.

Tiberius grabbed my wrist before I could reach the shot though, a wicked glint in his eyes. "This one you can't use your hands to drink."

"Why not?" I asked, one brow raised in suspicion. I _really_ couldn't trust Tiberius' taste in drinks.

Besides me I could hear Spartacus laughing, I hope it was at something Crixus had said and not the ridiculous shots Tiberius was having placed before me.

"What's the name of this one anyways?" I asked, before I bent my head to the task, taking the shot glass in my teeth before throwing my head, and the shot, back. Sweet, creamy, a hint of mint; this one was a hell of a lot better.

Tiberius waited until I had thrown my head back to answer: "A Peppermint _Cum Shot_." His voice was dripping with suggestion and I felt my cock perk right up at his tone. "Better than the fireball?"

Suddenly I remembered a hundred upon hundreds of times Nasir had spoken to me in that very same tone, his voice dripping with suggestion and the promise of bodily pleasures to come. It reminded me of shared gazes and knowing smirks that often followed Nasir's use of such a tone.

But that had been a different time, a different man. It wasn't fair to think of Tiberius as if he were the Nasir I dreamed of, no matter how alike they seemed.

I nodded mentally trying to beat back my erection. "I don't normally try mixed drinks," I said, trying to explain my complete lack of shot based knowledge.

"I bet you order a beer or two and call it a night." Tiberius countered and it pulled at my heart like nothing else. Nasir had always seemed to know me inside and out, Tiberius had no reason knowing me like that already.

"Now who's the stalker," I murmured to my beer, turning to look across the room.

Gannicus had gotten some sort of drinking game going, Chadara had dragged Duro to dance and Spartacus had moved farther down the bar with Crixus and a few others. And - _not nearly far enough away_ \- Donar and Rhaskos were making kissing and blow job faces at us, and still finding the time to mouth advice to me. I could just hear the odd bit about 'Slapping bellies', 'Jumping Bones', and something about 'Baking a skin loaf'. From the way Tiberius glanced at them he could hear them too.

Chadara took note of us, whispered to Duro and the pair came over to join us at the bar.

Tiberius must have made some face back, because Donar and Rhaskos were almost pissing themselves laughing. When he turned back to me, Duro, and Chadara Tiberius looked completely innocent, a little _too_ innocent actually.

"Let me rest woman!" Duro growled, throwing himself into a seat beside me, but he was smiling and I knew there was no bite to his bark this time.

Chadara also seemed to know as much, giving my brother a playful pout. "Fine, maybe Tiberius would be kind enough to dance with me?" She turned her pleading eyes on Tiberius, who let himself be pulled from his seat and onto the dance floor.

I knew Duro was looking at me, I could feel it, but I couldn't bring myself to look away from Tiberius.

"So where is this 'Nasir'?" Duro asked, trying too hard to sound casual. "All I've seen you chatting up Tiberius." He laughed then. "Chadara can't remember the name she keeps asking ' _Where is Agron's Namir?_ ', but Chadara's also getting worried you're leading her friend on while waiting for the guy."

My head snapped to Duro at that. Chadara thought I would really do that? "He's here already."

"Where? Why haven't you go and talked to him?" Duro demanded, face full of bewilderment. I suppose that wasn't too surprising; I'd been talking with him about the Nasir from my dreams for years and he was here but as far as Duro knew I'd only been speaking with Tiberius.

So I nodded to the dance floor, "He's right there dancing with Chadara.

Completely baffled Duro looked back at the dance floor where Chadara and Tiberius talked as much as the danced, Tiberius' face fell more the longer Chadara spoke.

"When I knew Nasir he'd been taken as a child and made a slave, when he first became a slave he'd been given a new name: Tiberius." I explained slowly, deliberately. "For whatever reason he goes by Tiberius in this life. But he is still the same, he is the Nasir I knew, the man I loved; of that I am sure."

Despite the roaring laughter, booming voices raised in song, and all other sounds of good cheer, silence settled between me and Duro. "How? How can you be so sure it's really him?" My brother finally asked, he spoke just loud enough for me to hear him over the ruckus, Duro was watching Chadara and Tiberius when I looked over at him.

I leaned back, my beer still in one hand, elbows resting on the sticky bar behind me. "I look into his eyes and I know. I once upon a lifetime ago spent the better part of my life studying those eyes, so now, when I look at him I know; I just know."

Tiberius looked at us then, I smiled as him but the expression died on my face, something Chadara had said upset him. He turned back to her, said something then turned on his heels and left the bar.

Without thinking I followed, pausing long enough to over pay for our drinks, grab both our coats from one of the bar stools and throw a quick goodbye over my shoulder at my brother.

I was out the door mere moments after Tiberius, it was dark and chilly out, but it was also Calgary so it was always chilly when it was dark out. Even now, in early September, frost was slowing growing on the grass and leaves. The world was dark, lit by the orange glow of streetlights and the odd bright flash of a lone car's headlights.

It was also bloody fucking freezing out and I shrugged into my jacket, looking up and down the main street for Tiberius. I saw him, a flash of dark on dark under an orange street light already two blocks down. I trotted down the street after him, my long legs eating up the distance.

"Tiberius!" I called after him, but he didn't turn to look at me just stuffed him hand in his jean pockets and picked up his pace.

Gritting my teeth I broke into a steady jog, catching him at the corner and dropping his jacket over his shoulders.

For a moment, in my mind we were different people, in a different world, and it wasn't a jacket dropped on clothed shoulders, but rather rough cloth over naked flesh. I knew the moment, I'd seen it dozens of times, dozens of ways, in dozens of places. And each time Nasir's hands would rise to capture mine, and pull my arms about him.

Tiberius did no such thing; though his steps faltered, but he made no move to touch me, or even look at me. Nor did he move to speed up but let me fall into step beside him.

"You forgot your coat."

Tiberius merely grunted a "Thanks," in reply.

"You could have said goodbye." I prodded, I could think of no reason for his sudden change in demeanor, unless, Chadara?

"I didn't think I'd be missed."

"Why?"

Something in my voice brought Tiberius up short, once more his steps faltered, and he looked at me, sidelong from under his long dark lashes. The urge to kiss him was like a blow to the stomach; it winded me. But I dared not make so brazen a move when Tiberius was in such a fowl mood.

"Why do you think I wouldn't miss you?" I tried again, one hand raised to grasp the sleeve of his coat before I pulled back, fisting my hands in my pockets.

"Chadara told me, your childhood crush is going to show up isn't he? Namir?" Tiberius said, his voice trembling. A car passed us by, briefly throwing Tiberius' face into stark contrast highlighting all the line of hurt and upset.

Running my hands through my short hair, I carefully considered my next words. I had to explain everything to him, that was the only way around it as far as I could see. But how to do it? If I came right out saying I dreamed about him that might really put Tiberius off and I'd waited to long to let him just walk away over some stupid misunderstanding.

"It's cold and my 'Childhood Crush' is a long story, let's go sit in my car and I'll tell you, fair enough?" I could see the hesitation in his eyes, but I wasn't willing to let him go, not this time. "I'll drive you home after if you want. Or anywhere you want, just tell me where." I was trying hard not to beg, and I was also fairly sure I was doing a shit job of it.

"FINE!" Tiberius threw his hands up, stomping back to the bar, and my car. "It's too fucking cold out here anyways."

We walked back to ' _The Drunk Corner_ ' together, both of us had our hands in our pockets and I had to wonder if Tiberius felt the burning desire to reach out and take my hand like I did. From the way he kept casting sidelong glances at me and my hands I liked to think he did. Soon enough we were circling around to the parking lot behind the bar, and both of us crawled into my car were I quickly cranked the heat.

"So," Tiberius began, watching his hands, "You have a story for me?"

"I'll warn you now, it's quite the story." And like that I began, telling the story that only I knew, one Duro only had bits and pieces of. "When I was a kid I had dreams, strange dreams of Blood and Sand, of mere man raised to the stand as Gods of The Arena, of Vengeance, and of War's of The Damned. In my dreams I was a Gladiator of Rome with my brother and together we joined the rebellion of Spartacus."

"I thought this was the story was of you childhood crush," Tiberius interrupted, his brow furrowed.

"I'm getting there," I shut him up, waving my hands and shrugging out of my coat now that the car was heating up. "Like I was saying: dreams. Now, my childhood crush was a man in those dreams." I closed my eyes grinning like an idiot I'm sure, letting the images of Nasir come to me, all filthy and ragged, and half clothed, and I knew with every fiber of my being that I loved him.

"He was Syrian, dark of hair, of eyes, and of skin, and as beautiful as any man, but that is to be expected. He had been a body slave before Spartacus and his rebels - _myself among them_ \- came to the villa he served in. We free all the slaves there, though that wild little Syrian dog didn't take well to freedom at first. But under Spartacus' training he learned to be a great fighter for one with such soft beginnings. He had a slave name Tiberius," I was watching the Tiberius beside me closely now. "But, his real name was Nasir," I saw Tiberius stiffen at that. I'd actually expect as much, so he really had been born Nasir but lived under the name of Tiberius for whatever reasons.

"In my dreams I loved him, and with every dream about Nasir the me that I am now fell in love with him too."

Finally I turned to Tiberius fully, longing to take his hands in mine and have him look at me but I didn't want to push him either. "I have meet many people over the years, one that share not only looks and names, but even habits, the same as those from my dreams. Spartacus, Crixus, my bosses, even your friend Chadara. In my dreams she was a body slave in the same villa as Nasir."

"Did she love your brother in your dreams?" Tiberius asked suddenly though his eyes remained locked on his hands in his lap.

"No," I confessed, my voice thick. "In my dreams they never met because in my dreams my brother had died saving me long before I met Chadara and Nasir."

Tiberius just nodded, I could no longer hold myself back I reached out and took Tiberius' hands in both of mine.

"Tiberius, you look like Nasir, I do not mean to force anything on you but-"

I stopped, the words dying on my tongue, Tiberius had finally looked up as me tears in his eyes. "Are you fucking with me?"

"NO! Never! I wouldn't- why would you think that?"

Tiberius just stared at me. "Then how? How the fuck did you know my name? Not even Chadara-" Tiberius pulled his hands back, though the loss of contact was a sharp pain in my breast I released my hold on Tiberius.

Swallowing hard I let myself speak as I did in my dreams. Lending a different structure to my words, around Tiberius, who wakened my memories of the past so vividly it was an easy thing to do. "I speak only _truth._ You already mean so much to me; too much to ever attempt deception or harm." Once more I swallowed, hesitantly I used the name I always had for this man. "Nasir, I have dreamed of you before I even knew your name, before I knew you were real."

I reached out, not just once, but thousands of times, across a distance measured only by time, and each moment was over laid with the rest. I reached for Tiberius, for Nasir, for the first time, for the last time, the first time in another age, and for the first time of my life. And like the thousands upon thousands of times before, and the thousands upon thousands of times that I knew would come, I took Tiberius' face in my hands and kissed him.

And like the thousands upon thousands of times before, but, for the first time, Tiberius kissed me back.

I pulled back, my hands tangled in Tiberius' long dark hair, my forehead pressed to his, both of us gasping for breath.

I looked into his eyes and words came to me, spoken ages ago in another life, but spoken here for the first time. " _This life or the next, my heart is forever yours_." I breathed, search Tiberius' face, begging him with every fiber of my being to recognize what I said, to remember the time we once spent together. " _I will love you so long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Nasir, I promise you, I will always wait for you, I will forever search for you, and not even the Gods could stop me till I find you. This life or the next, I'm no longer complete without you._ "

His eyes slipped shut, " _Do you forever mean to challenge the Gods over me?_ " Tiberius breathed, his voice so soft I'd never know if he said it or if it was merely the echoing ghost of the past.

"You can't mean that, can you?" Came Tiberius' forlorn question, his eyes still shut, hands still upon me.

"I have _always_ meant it."

* * *

 **Are they finally together? More like getting there.**

 **And yes, I do know that it's been some time, but two jobs turned out to be one too many, and then mate trouble, and bill troubles but all of that is neither here nor there. That's just excuses and they don't chapters posted. But getting my life settled does, and boy has it settled! I'm stable and ready to post!**

 **But hey, 10,000+ words in and we have a kiss! XD So while I'd normally like to update on Wednesdays, I have both 'Juggling' and now 'Ambrosius' to work on Juggling will move to either Thursday or Friday and Ambrosius will be moving to either Monday or Tuesday. ****Anyways thank you for reading and everything, and as always: till next time, ha det bra! :3**


	7. Late Nights

**This time I got it ready early, are you proud yet?**

 ***Insert approved disclaimer***

* * *

I began driving then, Tiberius said he didn't want to go home so I drove to my old high school. I pulled into the parking lot but left by car running and the heat on, with Tiberius in the passenger seat beside me I told him about when I first realized the truth of my dreams. Of that stupid fight with the big dumb kid that wasn't to be fuck with.

"You're fucking nuts!" Tiberius laughed, his voice still raw with emotion, not yet fully settled, but he was trying.

"What was I supposed to do? Let him beat Duro up? **No!** As the older brother it is my duty to fuck with anyone that fucks with my little brother."

The silence was finally comfortable, each of us running through the nights events. I took the opportunity to check my cell then, Duro had texted me saying he planned to spend the night at Chadara's. When I looked to Tiberius I saw him reading the same text but from Chadara instead of Duro.

I grinned at the beautiful, dark man beside me, "My place?" It was easy to forget that I _hadn't_ known him for years, for my whole life.

Tiberius seemed content to just go with things as he nodded, looking down at his hands, the ghost of a smile on his face.

~~o~~

 **I was dreaming, I knew I was because I knew this dream.**

 _I was trotting through a forest, my long legs eating up the miles, leading a ragged band of Spartacus' rebels. Back at the villa we had split up the men, some of us made for Vesuvius under my command, in hope of finding somewhere safer to camp than the villa, while Spartacus' group left on a mad quest to save Naevia from her fate in the mines._

 **We never should have split up.**

 _Nasir had gone with them._

 **What was I thinking? How could I have let him go without me like that?**

 _Now I lead a group rebels and freed slaves to hopefully meet Spartacus' men on their way back to us. If all had gone well Spartacus and Crixus ought to be on their way back with Mira, Naevia, and Nasir._

 _I was so excited to see Nasir again -_ **Ahh ignorance is truly bliss-** _we had yet to either of us, express our feeling for each other but I knew that I already desired the Syrian. Perhaps when all was settled and we could finally have moment to rest I would talk to him about such things._

 **But such chance wasn't soon in coming.**

 _Through the forest gloom shadows began taking shape the first was Spartacus, a man dragged between him and Mira._

 **Nasir, Nasir dragged between them.**

 _I stifled a laugh, of course Spartacus would leave no man behind if he could help it._

 **Thank the God for Spartacus' value of life, no matter who it belonged to.**

 _There too was Naevia, panicked and hanging close by the others. They heard us coming and Spartacus and Mira lowered the man they carried to the ground,_

 **No.**

 _Propping him against a tree,_

 **No.**

 _He and Mira taking up sword and preparing for battle,_

 **No** _._

 _They must assume us to be Romans._

 _We came upon then, a grin splitting my face as I came up to Spartacus._

 **Please, no.**

 _Then_ _I got a look at the man Naevia had been set to guard and stumbled in surprise, all of my excitement die._

 **No matter how many times I dreamed it, my heart still broke.**

 _Walking up to him took all of my willpower, I didn't want to see Nasir like this, I didn't want to know, didn't want to learn of his death, but I had to know. I took his face in my hand, he was pale, eyes far off and unseeing, he looked right through me, but not dead, thank the Gods, not dead._

 **This was** _ **my**_ **fault!** **I should have gone with them, should have protected him.**

 _ **All I could see was my failure. My failure to protect him, my failure to care for him, my failure to watch his back. This was my fault.**_

~~o~~

I woke violently, lost between then and now, all that registered was Tiberius' face above me, so alive with worry, so blessedly far from death. I didn't think just surged forward and upward, one hand locking behind his naked back, the other tangling itself in the long hair at the nape of his neck. I buried my face in the joint between his neck and shoulder, breathing deeply. Tiberius smelt of oil paints, crisp shampoo, and aftershave, unlike my dreams where he smelt of dirt, grime, unwashed hair and the heavy stink of sweat, but under it all was spice that never changed, smelling like cinnamon, forest musk, and something that could only be the smell of home. It was buried under the all the mundane but it was still there, _he_ was still there.

Tiberius sat back, pulling me up with him until I settled in his lap, he didn't pull away or say anything, he just held me. Humming some made up tune he rubbed my back, waiting for me to come back from whatever dark places my dreams had lead me too.

Slowly I came back from my haunted half dreams of a long gone past, my breathing slowed and steadied from panting gasps to regular breaths. My hands stilled, I didn't even realize I had been shaking till I stopped. But finally I calmed down.

Normally I'd wake alone, riding out the horrors of my dreams in my dark room, huddled shaking on my bed till sunrise. As if the dreams were monsters that lived under the bed, coming out in the dead of night before they slipped back into hiding with the dawn.

"Apologies," I finally mumbled into his shoulder. Still a little lost in the space between my dreams and reality.

"It's okay," neither of us seemed to sure what to do. "If you want, I'll listen."

I shook my head, the idea of reliving that moment, even if only through words hurt to much, if I could I'd wipe those memories away.

A gentle tug, Tiberius pulled back enough to look me in the eyes, I'd seen that look before, in another life, when I'd wake from nightmares of Duro's death. Nasir had been with me then, he'd look at me with the same searching gaze, as if finding all the cracks inside my heart that needed filling. As if he were making note of all my flaws so he could find them again in the daylight. So he'd know what parts of me still needed work. It was a look that made me feel like he meant to patch me up, fill in the holes, and seal the cracks.

Another tug, still gentle but with real force behind it. "Come on," Tiberius announced, standing and pulling me up with him by my hands.

It was dark, a little after 4 in the morning by the clock on my bed side table. Tiberius kept hold of my hand, his long hair left loose, falling over his bare back in dark waves, clad in only his underwear like I was. Neither of us moved to turn on any lights as Tiberius lead me through my own house, the man didn't make a sound as he ghosted through the hall and down the stairs.

In the living room he pushed me onto the sofa, pulling the throw off the back of the sofa and draping it over me.

"I'll be right back okay," Tiberius promised pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before he left the room.

I was about to get up and look for Tiberius when he returned with a tub of ice cream from the freezer and a pair of spoons. He gave me an expectant look, nudging my knees apart with one foot. I made room, letting Tiberius settle against me, between my legs, and pulled the blanket about us both.

We sat there in silence for a long time, eating ice cream from the tub and cuddling.

Tiberius was the first to speak, "I was adopted," He began, snuggling closer to my chest. "My parents called me Nasir - _my brother too._ But my parents. . . . They died when I was 3, so I don't really remember them."

His voice was thick with pain and I didn't have the words to help.

"You don't have to tell me,"

"I know; I want to."

I was touched, that he would share such a story with me. Not knowing what else to do I pressed a kiss to Tiberius' shoulder.

"Like I said, I was 3, my brother 7, we didn't have any other family to take us in. We ended up in foster care, we went to the first and second family together, but when I was 4 I got adopted. They. . . They only wanted me." To be taken from family like that, and so young too. I couldn't imagine what that must of been like for Tiberius. I locked my arms around his waist, pressing feather light kisses across the bare expanse of his shoulders and back. "They're the ones that re-named me Tiberius. "

Something weighed heavily on my mind, it told me there was much more to this story. "They mistreated you, didn't they?" I knew a different telling of such a story, an earlier telling of it, one were a boy was taken from his family, given a new name, and groomed to be a perfect body slave.

"The man tried, but I ran away when I was 15." Tiberius explained, his voice so steady despite the past horrors it implied. "I don't know why I never changed my name back, I guess I didn't see the point?" He shrugged against me, as if the whole mess was something small, something that didn't really matter.

I released a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. "Gratitude for telling me, I know it must have been hard."

Nasir ignored me and just held up a spoonful of ice cream, "Are you going to help me finish this?" He asked, "Or am I getting fat alone?"


	8. The Villa

_**Part one of a two part update. . . .**_

* * *

It was pretty late in the morning, with sunlight streaming in through the large living room bay windows, when I finally woke for the second time. I sat up, scratching the back of my neck as I looked around; I was alone on the sofa, and someone was having a shower, it didn't look like Duro had come home yet so I guessed it to be Tiberius making himself at home in my shower.

That woke me up.

The idea of him, all _slick_ , _naked_ , and _wet_.

I rubbed at my face, with a lot more aggression than necessary. What the hell was I doing? Dreams or no dreams I'd only met the guy the other day, I knew almost nothing about him! Okay, I knew where he lived, where he'd moved from, I knew his best friend, and I knew about how he'd been adopted.

 _Huh_ , I guess I actually knew a fair amount about Tiberius.

Throwing myself forward and up I got my feet under me and stood up to stretch, properly rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I heard the shower turn off, then someone fuss about in the bathroom.

Moments later Tiberius came down the hall, pants on and distractedly drying his hair.

"Oh," He looked at me, sounding just a little surprised. "You're up."

"Yeah, about . . . ." My freak out? Last night? Everything? This morning? ". . . . _before. . . ._ " Seeing him now, my troubling dreams once more a distant memory, I was . . . . _embarrassed_ , to say the least. "I'm sorry. I don't know wha-"

Tiberius cut me off, one handedly pulling me down by the back of my head to kiss my forehead. "It's okay Agron, I get it. Sometimes people have bad nights, you don't have to explain that to me but if you ever want to talk about, I'm here. I'll listen."

Once more I remembered countless night and mornings, where Nasir understood, when he just knew what I needed to hear, where he was the sun that chased away all shadows of pain and loss. That had been hundreds upon hundreds of years ago, a different place, a different time, a very different life. But this moment, _this_ was the same. The understanding, the comfort, the safety; it was the same.

I took his free hand in one of mine, letting my head fall to his shoulder. "Gratitude Nasir,"

He tensed, "Tiberius, my name is Tiberius." He corrected me.

"But you said-"

Tiberius cut me off, "No one has called me Nasir since I was four Agron, it's a little strange to switch now don't you think?"

I had to admit, he had a point.

It was then that Tiberius decided to totally kill the mood.

"Awe _fuck!_ " Tiberius was shouting, racing for my bedroom, and leaving me standing in my living room like a fuck wit in my underwear. "It's almost twelve! Look Agron, I'm sorry but I have to get home, pick up shit and get to the gallery."

"Gallery?"

With crashing and cursing, Tiberius came back down the stairs, his shirt half on. "Yeah, I'm an art student, and I've got some pieces to drop off at a gallery. I'm supposed to have them there in less than a hour."

I couldn't let him leave, not again, not so soon. "I'll drive you!" I offered jumping to grab my keys.

Tiberius, already at the door raised an eyebrow at me, his face saying 'Oh really?' "Might I suggest pants then?"

~~o~~

No one was at Tiberius' and Chadara's apartment, and within 15 minutes Tiberius and I were stuffing a 4 piece collection of covered oil paintings into the back seat of my car.

The drive itself was short while the route was nothing but twisting turns and narrow alleys. The Gallery was some remodeled old house in one of the really old trendy neighborhoods, a place called ' _The Villa_ '.

Up to the Victorian style front porch I followed Tiberius - _each of us carrying 2 of the 4 pieces of his art_ \- to the locked door of the Gallery. We weren't kept waiting long when a well rounded man opened the door.

"Ahh Tiberius!" The man grinned ushering us inside. "You're early! _**Wonderful**_! We can get you work set up in room B upstairs, I already started bring up some of the collection."

The outside of the place was nice, it was the best kept building on the street, with fresh paint and in no need of repairs, inside any furnishings that might have once called ' _The Villa'_ home had been stripped, from sofas, chairs, and bookcases, to whatever rugs and carpet that had been there were all replaced with light colored wooden floors; everything that couldn't be removed had been painted white, and covered in exhibits.

Following Tiberius and the round man up to the second floor and down a hall to what might have once been a guest bedroom. Now it was just a room with an open closet. a covered window, an open box of ragged fabric, and a pair of covered painting propped against the far wall.

"-so excited," The round man was gushing to Tiberius. He had to been in his 40s at least, round and with a receding line of dark hair, laughing watery blue-gray eyes, over all average, another face in the crowd sort, and just a bit taller than Tiberius but shorter than me. "So you'll be decorating the whole room? I assume your friend is here to help?"

"Yes, he was kind enough to drive me actually." Tiberius was explaining, setting his painting next to the ones already in the room and taking the two I held to add to the growing collection of art. "Agron, this is Livius, the Gallery manager. Mister Livius, my friend Agron." Tiberius introduced us to each other.

"So, Tiberius actually knows people other than Chadara? I'm impressed, pleasure to meet you Agron." Livius said shaking my hand in both of his. There was something in the way he smiled at me, something that flashed in his eyes. But before I could place just what _it_ was, Livius was turning away. "Well, I'll leave you boys to it. The rest is in the usual place, and the room is yours! I'll be in the main room."

With that Mister Livius left us.

I soon learned that the kitchen acted as an office, full of paperwork, cleaning stuff and whatnot. It was also the only room left with colour and not painted white, but the blue and yellow paint was only a few years old and must have been redone with the rest of the house, while it was the shed that acted as a temporary home for any artwork not found on the walls of the gallery.

I followed Tiberius back up to the room, he had gotten the last two paintings of his 8 piece collection, while I had another box of rags he claimed were 'Decorations' and another box of everything we'd need to hang the paintings; from a hammer and nails to a folding step stool.

"I got really lucky," Tiberius was explaining as he torn down the white curtains. "Livius noticed that the first three pieces fit together, then asked if I thought I could pull off a whole room installation. Next thing I know I've got plans to set up an eight piece collection in here."

I really didn't understand what all that meant, he had paintings to stuff in one room? Either way, Tiberius was excited, so it was a good thing? It just sounds like a lot of paint to me.

"You don't _mind_ helping me set up, do you?" Tiberius asked, passing me the curtains and rod.

"It's not like I'm doing anything else." I could feel myself grinning like an idiot. "Jut have to leave by 6, for work."

Flashing me a quick grin, one that made memories of another life flash before my eyes, Tiberius hopped down from the step stool and pulled out a black book.

"Thanks Agron, guess we have to work fast then? Okay look here," Tiberius said, showing me a page of his sketch book. I must admit, I didn't have a clue what I was look at. It was just boxes and numbers to me. "This is the room, painting 5, the really big on, going on the west wall, 7 and 8 go on both sides of the south door with the door, 8 is south-west, 7 is south east." Tiberius explained pointing to the numbered boxes in the sketch in turn. "6 and 4 on the north wall with the window, 6 is north-west, and 4 is north-east. while 1, 2, and 3 fit on the east wall with the closet. 1 will be inside the closet, 3 is north-east, 2 is south-east."

"Why is number 1 inside the closet?" I asked, trying to make myself see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

Tiberius snapped the sketch book shut: "Because I said so."

With the layout of the room already decided by Tiberius all I had to was actually hang the artwork, with each piece numbered on the back and my own copy of the layout in my pocket it should be easy enough. I grabbed painting number five, the largest one that would cover most of the west wall while Tiberius set about covering the doorway with a collection of ragged cloths sewn together.

Taking my my time I measured the area out, used the laser level to check the nails were even and fetched the painting. Pulling off the protective covering I froze.

I knew that sight.

I knew that wall.

Not as well at Nasir would but I knew it.

I knew that chair.

How many times I had sat is such a place in another life?

How many night had I stayed up in that chair sharpening my sword and Nasir's as he watched from the bed before dragging me to join him?

I knew that scene. I know it. I know it as well as I know my own hands but I know it from another angle.

Moving slowly and carefully, as if this were a dream and I would wake at any moment I set painting number Five a side, laying it carefully against the west wall as if it were a cracking pane glass not canvas stretched over wood.

I didn't check the number on the next piece, just uncovered it. It was number eight, one half of the doorway, the next was four, our bench of clothes, then two, a small one of the area by the bed, where we kept our lamp and set aside uneaten food, three fit with four perfectly, completing our collection of clothes and armor. Next I grabbed seven, the rest of the doorway. With each piece I slotted into place our room came together around me, brought to life by Tiberius and his paint brush.

Lost in the reconstruction of our room I didn't notice Tiberius trying to get my attention, I didn't hear him as he stood watching me from the doorway.

I grabbed up the second to last painting, number six, a long, narrow, tall painting of a length of wall with our swords and shields against it as they would have sat in life. As they had sat in my dreams.

Moving like a man possessed I had somehow switched from moving as if each piece I touched would shatter to moving as if I took too long that paintings would run away. In three long strides I was a across the room slotting the last piece into the closet. Painting number one: Nasir's view of my empty half of the bed.

It was our room in the villa on mount Vesuvius.

 _ **Our life; minus us.**_

I wasn't sure what I was about to do. I felt weak and shaky but my heart was pounding like I could run for days. I felt like laughing and crying and getting sick all at once. How? How had Tiberius painting our room in such perfect detail without us, without remembering us?

" _Agron_?"

Tiberius's voice called my eyes to him, standing in a doorway of rags.

I finally understood his choice of decorations. All of this, eight painting, countless hours, all of it was to remake this room. A room Tiberius didn't even remember, from a life I've only dreamed of.

It was so much. So much of everything.

It was hope that somehow, somewhere deep inside Tiberius might one day remember the life I did.

It was the pain of a life remembered only by me.

It a whole new level of joy that this was proof, solid, real, tangible, proof that it wasn't all in my head, that someone else could see what I had. That someone saw what Nasir had; that Tiberius saw it.

It was also fear that I would forever see such ghosts and be alone in seeing of them.

"Agron, what?" Tiberius had come up to my side without my realizing it, and reached up for my face. "You- _**You're crying?!**_ "

Taking Tiberius' hand in mine I did my best to smile. "I am fine, it is only. . . . I had not expected. . . . I mean. . . . **I am fine.** "

Tiberius didn't look like he believed me.

"You didn't check the paintings." It wasn't a question, so I didn't answer. "You, you just _knew_. You do know don't you?"

Unsure what to say, how to explain, I just nodded.

The silence between us stretched as Tiberius stood there, studying my face, the hand I held squeezed mine, and his free hand wiped tears from my cheeks. "Your dreams?" Tiberius asked softly, doubtfully.

I didn't trust myself to speak and just nodded.

"I've been drawing this room, hundreds of times, hundreds of different ways for years; what was it?"

Not wanting to force anything I gave half the answer: "You slept here, after Spartacus freed you and many other slaves from your villa. But this was a different place. A room from the temple on mount Vesuvius, and this was your room in that temple."

"I shared this room didn't I?" Tiberius prodded, watching me much too closely.

I closed my eyes and nodded. The paintings around the room, the rags on the window and doorway, Tiberius. It was all too much like my dreams. "Yes you shared this room."

"I shared it with you didn't I?"

My voice was small: a weak thing, a breaking thing. " _. . . . yes. . . ._ "

" _I am not Nasir,_ " I could hear the strain in Tiberius' voice as if he were as close to tears as I felt.

" _I know._ "

Then he kissed me. It was soft, and light, and felt more as if Tiberius were testing something than anything. So I kept perfectly still, until he reached up to pull me closer by the back of my neck.

With a rumble in the back of my throat I pulled Tiberius as close as I could. In my dreams Nasir was sweat and road dust, unwashed and filthy and I loved him all the same. In my real life Tiberius was almond shampoo, mint toothpaste, and only the softest hint of sweat. But here or in my dreams he still had the spice to him that made him Nasir.

" _Tiberius,_ " I breathed when we both pulled back to breath. Every nerve ending in my body was on overload, the world was spinning without me, everything seemed to be moving too fast, yet standing still, and I still wasn't over seeing the paintings of our room. " _ **Apologies.**_ "

With that I was out the door to work through things the way I best knew how. With physical violence.


	9. Apologies

_**Part two of a two part update. . . .**_

* * *

I'd kissed Tiberius, I'd kissed him then ran away.

God I must be going mad or something. Tiberius was definitely Nasir, there couldn't be any question about it anymore. I'd loved Nasir my whole life and here I was running away from him because I now knew without a shadow of a doubt that I'd found him.

I threw all my weight behind the next punch and almost knocked Barca on his ass.

" **Agron!** " Oenomaus yelled from where he'd been help Crixus.

" **SORRY!** " I yelled back, "Sorry!" I yelled again, at Barca this time. I'd run away to ' _Oenomaus' Gym'_ and talked Barca into practicing some blows with me. I was so out of it I'd almost punched Barca in the face and not padded target he held at least a dozen times already.

"That's it, we're switching!" he growled, Barca was big and scary and now angry.

I was going to _die_.

~~o~~

I'd come in almost two hours early for my 5:30 shift at ' _Minerva's Supply Closet_ ' Not that my boss was complaining, according to Sybil my timing was perfect as Pietros had to go home early. Something about his ' _Friend_ ' -we both think he really means ' _boyfriend_ '- having gotten a broken nose.

I'd accidentally broken Barca's nose too, he'd boxed my ears and left after that. It must be a bad day for noses.

"You're so troubled today!" Sybil said from behind me, "Look at this, you're mixing up as many colors as you put away."

She was right too, I'd made a huge mess of the fabric paints and dyes. I groaned, "Sorry Sybil, I'll clean it up."

"And I'll help," she replied, already sorting through the mess I'd been making. "Don't look so scared Agron, I'm going to fire you over a bad day." Sybil reassured me, she wasn't even looking at me.

"I'm not worried about that," I snapped back and grimaced. Sybil had always been a great boss and here I was biting her head off.

I looked over, she was checking labels on different red dyes, and not looking at all bothered. I envied Sybil; nothing ever seemed to ruffle her feathers.

"Sorry," I repeated.

"Sorry won't clean this mess up Agron." Came Sybil's cool reply as she passed me some blue dyes. "So are you going to tell me what's put you in such a foul mood?"

"Well-" I wasn't sure what to say or how to say any of it. I was saved having to reply why the bell at the shop entrance chimed. "I'm going up front!" I declared jumping to my feet.

Great, I was running away again.

The customer turned out to be a pair of middle aged moms looking for stuff to scrapbook with. I pointed them off in the right direction and decided to hang out up front at the cash register. I really didn't want to talk to Sybil about the whole Tiberius/ Nasir issue.

I few more people came and went, Sybil sorted out my mess, she seemed to realize I wasn't to keen on explaining my ' _foul mood_ ' because she told me she'd be doing stock in the back if I needed her.

I was more than happy to hang out in the front alone.

A few hours into my shift, day-dreaming about the dinner break I'd be going on soon, ' _he_ ' came in.

Of _**course**_ he'd show up. After I cried, kissed him, ran away, and avoided his calls all afternoon. Tiberius knew where I worked, he knew I had needed to leave for work by five too. I'd really brought this on myself by ignoring him. Still, knowing all of that really didn't stop me from ducking behind the counter like a total loser anyways. And I mean like a total _100% grade 'A'_ _**loser**_.

From my hiding spot I prayed Tiberius would assume I was so busy avoiding him I hadn't even come in for work today. The clacking of shoes on concrete that stopped right by the check-out counter told me I had **no** such luck.

"You do realized that I had saw you from outside right?" Tiberius stated, leaning over the counter. "Plus you're pretty tall, I can still see the top of your head."

Cursing loudly I made no move to stand.

"Talking to the top of your head then am I? Fine with me." Part of me was praying for Tiberius to leave until I got my head sorted out, the rest of me wished he would never _ever_ leave my side. Ever.

"You know I was wondering, why would a guy that's so into me just kiss and run? I couldn't figure it have to admit, it makes no sense." Tiberius confided to the top of my head. " _But_ , then I thought about. Assuming you haven't been lying to me, assuming this whole " **Dreams About The Spartacus Roman Slave Rebellion** " story isn't _just_ a story; then _I'm sorry_."

I froze at that, that wasn't what I'd been expecting at all.

"Agron I am sorry, _so sorry_. This whole thing, you and me, it must be ever more weird and fucked up for you than it is for me. I mean, living your life dreaming about someone only to find they're a _real person_ but **different**." I could hear Tiberius moving around above me. "That's why you ran isn't it?"

Unsure of what to do now I just sat there. "Yeah, I just couldn't-"

"-Handle it?" Tiberius cut me off, got he was doing it again, acting like the Nasir I knew. Does he really just get me like that?

"Gonna stand up yet?" Tiberius urged, tugging lightly while he played with my hair. "I like you Agron, a lot. I mean I've walked by the shop five times today waiting till I saw you at the counter to come in."

Neither of us couldn't help laughing at that, and I finally made myself stand and face Tiberius. I had to. I'd wanted him for as long as I could remember, he was the only person I'd ever wanted, the only person I'd ever want again. I owed it to him to stand and face him. When he was Nasir, we'd always faced each other, always stood as equals. Why should Tiberius be any different?

Reaching out Tiberius caressed my cheek, looking straight at me and locking me in place."I'm not Nasir, I never will be." He told me, staring me down- _up-_ as if asking me to challenge him on this.

"I know."

He kissed me then. There was no questioning, no careful testing, just passion and I rose to match him in it. He tasted like peppermint gum with underlying tones of his own special flavor. This time I didn't run.

Then Sybil cleared her throat.

"It's time for your break Argon," She was grinning, holding a stock box of paint brushes. "I'll watch the till, go and take your boyfriend out."

I opened my mouth to tell her that Tiberius wasn't boyfriend, but something in the way Tiberius smiled made me say: " _He isn't my boyfriend,_ **yet** _._ "

* * *

 ** _This isn't actually the end, there's a fair bit more to write but I feel like the rest is more Nasir/ Tiberius' story rather than Agron. I also hate changing view points, sure switching with each chapter can be kinda cool, but it feels wrong to start after 9 chapters. So, the rest will be coming as a second story_** _ **: Ambrosius Echo.**_

 **Anyways thank you for reading and everything, and as always: till next time, ha det bra! :3**


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